The Tale of Sonata
by Yamadori
Summary: Spoiler Warning, more details inside. Alternate storyline at Baroque. While everyone rests in the city of Baroque, a new evil is approaching, and one of the members of the group may be in danger...
1. Prologue: Ice and Glass

**Well, here's my first story for Eternal Sonata. I came up with this idea a little while ago, and I think it will turn out pretty well. I haven't seen the end of the game yet, so names and places are subject to change. Also, this takes place sometime during the second trip to Baroque, so there's a spoiler warning up to there, and possibly further on.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Eternal Sonata. So please don't ask.**

She shivered at the cold weather. She'd probably never get used to this climate.

When she reached the glass staircase, she took the steps two at a time. The Eternal Count was someone best not kept waiting.

She headed through the entrance, closing the large doors with a little effort. She then headed deeper inside.

A friend had once told her that the layout of the palace was similar to Baroque's castle. She thought that she'd like to look at it now that she was in the area.

She pulled the hood of her cloak tighter around her as she made her way through the halls. She smiled up at the ceiling, the sun sparkling through the glass like an icicle. She thought it was odd that someone like herself could still enjoy the beauty of the small things in life. Her mother had always said she had an artist's eye, though. Her train of thought halted when she found herself at the doors of the audience chamber. She took a deep breath, then stepped inside.

The chamber was very wide, the ceiling much higher than in the halls, all of it made out of glass. All the way at the back of the large room was a throne (also made of glass), where the Count sat. She approached him slowly, a sudden nervousness and intimidation hitting her. She tried to make her face as blank as a sheet of paper.

She kneeled down when she reached him. "Your Highness."

"Rise." She did as he said. She tried to make eye contact with him, but his eyes were so sharp that she couldn't hold his gaze for long.

"I tried to come immediately, but I was... delayed." She thought it was best not to tell him that the cause of her delay was a snowstorm. Once again, she couldn't begin to describe how she hated this climate.

"I see. No matter. There are other things to attend to. Here." he produced a portfolio and handed it to her. "You'll find everything you need to know inside of that."

She opened it and started looking inside, flipping through some of the contents. "... I have to do _this_?" she looked at him disbelievingly.

"Is it too much for you to handle?"

"N-no... it's not that, it's just... I expected something a little different."

"I know that you can handle this. Of course, if you rather wouldn't, I can find someone else..."

"No!" She shot forward, almost dropping the portfolio, her voice panicked. "I mean... You know I wish to serve you however I can." She bowed her head, clutching the portfolio to herself.

"Good. Feel free to let me know if you need any assistance.

"It won't be necessary. I'll be on my way, then. I need to hurry if I'm going to catch them. Your Highness." She bowed, then turned and left.

"Yes, that's right... Bring him to me... Bring me the son of Shamisen."

**Well, this is probably one of the shortest prologues I've ever written. This is, like I mentioned, my first Eternal Sonata fan fiction. It looks like this might be a good one, though. Hopefully it won't take me too long to write this one! Anyway, we've seen the introduction of two new characters (with the mention of another) and one new place. By the way, in case anyone was confused, the count mentioned is not Count Waltz. Also, there will be some romantic pairings... Sorry, I couldn't help it. Besides, with the stuff between Allegretto and Polka, you can't really avoid it in an Eternal Sonata story, can you? Some pairings to note are Allegretto x Polka (of course), Beat x Salsa x March, and Jazz x Viola (Falsetto would have been involved in this one, but I'm not sure if she's going to be in the story yet, since this may or may not include Aria Temple). I think I'll throw you a little bit of information, too: the name of the palace our mystery characters were in is called Key Palace. Another note is that there will be some more new characters introduced, maybe in the next chapter. Anyway, I'll shut up now. I hope you enjoyed this, and chapter one should be done (hopefully) soon!**


	2. Chapter 1: Perfect Element

**Finally, chapter one is up! I'm sorry for the long wait. I've been juggling three different Blue Dragon stories in addition to this one, so I've been busy. And that's not even including the other stories that I have planned. I might do a oneshot for an anime or game series sometime soon, but I'm not going to bring out anymore chaptered stories until I either finish one of the ones I'm working on or I get into a comfortable rhythm. Anyway, like I've been doing for the Blue Dragon stories, I'm going to reply to reviews. So, here we go:**

**EternalSong13:** The story should pick up as time goes on. ;) I can't give away too much right now, but it will make more sense as I write more of it. I had thought to put it in the Mystery genre, but I think that it would be a little too adventurous of me (I just joined the site two weeks ago). Plus, the story fit more than two of the genres, so I thought it fit best in General. And these are some of my favorite couples, too, which is the main reason I included them. ;) There is a sort of surprise pairing later on, though I'm not sure you (or I) will like it. I'm not sure whether it will be a permanent pairing, though, so no worries; once we get to that stage, I would like some suggestions from you and everyone else regarding that. I'm sorry it took so long, but here's the next chapter.

**Okay, there are the replies. I'd like to give you an example to how I'm replying: Let's say that someone has reviewed chapter one; that means that I will reply in chapter two. And if any new reviews come in, I will go back and reply to them. Anyway, that's how that works. So... after the disclaimer, we can get on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Eternal Sonata. I don't know what I'd do if I did.**

It was a typical day in the city of Baroque; people happily went through the daily routine of their lives, and soft, powdery snow continued to constantly fall from the sky. However, in the garden next to the castle, there was one person who was frustrated beyond belief.

"Ah, darn it!" The young boy threw a photograph to the side.

Beat had been trying to get a good photograph of the garden every morning since they had been here in Baroque. He had taken some nice pictures, but none of them seemed good enough to him.

So, Beat resolved himself and tried again. He set his feet, holding his camera to his eye. He watched the pattern of the snow, waiting for just the right moment...

"Hi, Beat!"

"Gah!!" Beat flew back, landing in the snow, taking a picture in the process. The result was a picture of the sky, a little bit of the castle wall, and half of March's head.

"Oh, dear! Beat, I'm so sorry!" she leaned over him, trying to see if he was okay.

"It's fine..." he grumbled, annoyance lacing his voice as he sat up. March cringed at his tone.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah..."

"I thought you heard me coming towards you... The snow's pretty noisy... But, what are you doing out here by yourself?"

"I'm trying to take a picture of the garden." He stood.

"A picture?"

"Yeah." Beat looked at the picture he had taken, then threw it to the side with another groan.

March looked over where he had thrown it, seeing the unintentional pile he had made. "You seem like you've been working pretty hard." she walked over to the pile, then knelt down to start looking through them.

"There's been nothing to do since we got here, so I decided to start trying to take pictures every morning. I had been doing pretty good. Some days I even did more than one. But then I got to this place and I've been stuck ever since." he got into position again.

"You know, Beat, some of these are really good." She had only seen photographs once or twice before she had started traveling with Beat underneath the Mandolin Church, and then had only seen some that he was looking at from a distance. Still, the ones in the pile seemed nice to her. She could see that he had even tried some different angles.

"They're not good enough."

"What's wrong with them?"

"The snow doesn't look right."

She gaped at him disbelievingly. "Beat, it's snow! You can't make it perfect!"

"I can try, though."

"Beat... You shouldn't be like that. It isn't healthy."

"If we could just _go_ somewhere... Somewhere besides here. Just to some place that looked different. In Ritardando, things constantly change. There are always new people coming in and out, since it's a port town. And it doesn't happen as often, but new buildings are made sometimes. There's always something new there, and nothing in _this_ place ever changes! Almost no one comes or goes, and we haven't been, and hopefully won't be, here long enough to see any new buildings."

"Something new... Maybe you need to take a break from the garden and try taking a picture of something else."

"Hm?" He looked away from the camera at her, a quizzical look on his face.

"You know... You couldn't have taken a picture of everything yet. Maybe you could try a person?"

"I guess so... I haven't taken a picture of anyone since we've been here."

"Now, all you need is a person to take a picture of..."

"I would, but I don't know anyone here. I knew everyone I took a picture of in Ritardando."

"I didn't know you were so shy, Beat!"

"I-I'm not, it's just..." his face reddened a little.

"It's okay." March waved a hand in front of her. "You do know the Prince, but I think Jazz is still busy talking to him... I know!" she clapped her hands together. "You could take a picture of me!"

"Of you?"

"Yeah! You haven't taken one of me, yet, have you?"

"No... Well, not any good ones, anyway." he added the last part a little quickly, like an afterthought. March sighed at him.

"Stop worrying about it!"

"Sorry. Anyway, let's do it now."

"Okay. But do we have to do it out here?"

"Why can't we do it here?"

"First of all, you're only going to complain about the snow again. Second of all, it's really cold!" she grabbed her arms, but Beat just laughed; always guarding Agogo Forest, neither March nor Salsa seemed to have much tolerance for the cold climate of Baroque.

"Alright, how about in the audience chamber?"

"Okay! Come on, let's go!" she grabbed his hand and started running for the door.

"Hey, March, wait a minute!" he yelled, but she continued dragging him anyway.

Up ahead, the door was already open, Polka and Viola standing in the doorway.

"Excuse us!"

"Help!" Beat continued his protest, but March squeezed the two of them past, Polka and Viola hugging the wall.

They watched the two of them as they sped past for a second.

"What do think all of that was about, hm?" Viola looked towards Polka a little slyly.

"I have no idea..." Polka started walking out into the garden.

"You don't think that those two are..."

"Are what?"

"You don't think they're an item, do you?"

"An... item?" Polka looked confused.

"You know... Like they're together or something." The look remained. "Involved?" Polka only tilted her head.

"Oh for... Like they're a romantic couple, Polka!"

"Oh!" Polka held a hand in front of her face, blushing. "Viola, you shouldn't be like that."

"Well, it's about time you figured it out. You're kind of dense when it comes to this sort of thing, aren't you?"

"W-what? No, it's just... It isn't very polite to gossip about people like that, especially when you're not sure if it's true."

"Yeah, but it's fun! You'd know if you tried it!"

"I don't want to try it, and I don't think it's very fun."

"Come on, don't you think Beat and March would be cute together? That is, as long as Salsa didn't mind..."

"Why would Salsa mind? She doesn't like Beat much, anyway."

"Hm... Are you sure about that?"

"Oh, Viola, really!"

* * *

**Note: About a minute or two after this is where the event in the game between Polka and Viola takes place. This next part takes place in the audience chamber, right after Viola talks with Jazz.**

"And... we're done!"

"Phew..." March leaned up against the closest wall. "I didn't think it would be so hard to pose for a picture."

"Sorry... Most photographers probably wouldn't want their pictures so perfect." Beat rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Why do you want them so perfect, though?"

"Well... Because of my dad."

"Your dad?"

"Yeah. I mean, he's passed away now, but... Before he died and left me his camera, he used to let me borrow it sometimes. He wasn't really demanding about pictures or anything - he was probably the opposite even - but I always wanted to show him the best that I could. And I still want to do that, even though he's passed on."

"Wow, Beat... I had no idea."

"What are you two doing in here?" Both of them turned to see Salsa, arms akimbo.

"Salsa! What are you doing here?" March tilted her head slightly.

"I came here looking for him." She pointed at Beat. "We're supposed to have a card game with the old lady in a few minutes. And it's not like she's going to play with me by herself. Besides the fact that I'm going to cream both him _and_ her, she doesn't like me enough to play without him."

"Sorry, I forgot... I guess I've got to go..."

"Did you take any pictures that were good enough?"

"Yeah, I think so... You're really good for a picture, so it wasn't that hard to take it."

"What's so good about sis?" Salsa sounded a little annoyed.

"Salsa!"

"Well, some people are just good for taking pictures."

"What about me, huh? We _are_ twins, in case you haven't noticed."

"I don't know... There's something about you that's... just not as good." Beat seemed to be putting it up as sort of a challenge. Salsa glared at him.

"Well, come on, we're already wasting too much time. We're going to be late." She grabbed his arm roughly and started dragging him away.

"Ow! I can walk on my own, you know!"

"See ya, sis."

"Bye, March!" Beat waved a little, but was cut off by a sharp pull from Salsa. "Ouch! Would you let go?!"

"Um, bye..." March waved at them slightly, feeling a little awkward. She sighed. "Well, at least I got to help someone today..."

* * *

She sighed in relief as she stepped inside; a warm place at last.

She walked up to the receptionist. "Hello. I'd like a room, please."

"Of course. That'll be 100G."

"Actually, I was only planning on staying here for half a day, so I was wondering if it was possible to pay less."

"Um... I suppose so, but I should ask my boss first." the receptionist laughed a little. "Hang on just a moment, okay?" she walked off towards a door behind the desk, going inside. She was back in a few moments.

"He said it was okay. So that'll be 50G, please." She handed the money to the receptionist, who put it in a small black register. "Here's a key and sign for your room." she accepted the items. "Please enjoy your stay at Hotel Ensemble!" the receptionist bowed.

"Thank you." she headed up the left flight of stairs and began searching for a door that didn't have an "Occupied" sign. She found one in a hallway. She went inside.

The room was furnished like most hotel and inn rooms that she'd been in; furniture, carpets, windows, paintings on the wall. It did have more of a Baroque "flavor", though. She walked over to a window, leaning on the sill.

"It's lovely here, even if it is cold." She eyed the castle. "There... That's my destination."

**Well, that took a little longer than I would have liked, but I finished it. I think this one went pretty well. Longer than last time, but that's to be expected, since the first one was the prologue and this is the first chapter. I know this one wasn't that interesting, but I needed to build things up a little. Next chapter should be better. In this chapter, there was a little bit of Beat x Salsa x March, though it was mostly Beat x March. Also, unfortunately, Beat seemed a little out of character. I'll try to work on that more. And the mystery girl has finally arrived in Baroque. And she said her destination was the castle... Since the Count said "son" in the prologue, that would mean that she's after one of the boys. Who is it? Allegretto? Beat? Jazz? Frederic? And are they in danger? Well, we'll see. I'm not going to give anything away. I've already decided who it is, but feel free to guess anyway. I'm going to start working on the next chapter soon, so keep an eye out for it! **


	3. Chapter 2: A Short Excursion

**Hello, everyone. I'm sorry for the delay; I wanted this chapter up much sooner, but as soon as I was about to finish it, I got sick. Ugh, too much pain... I'm trying to deal with it, though. I feel horrible, but my notes and replies should still be fairly cheerful. :) Anyway, we'll do the review replies now.**

**EternalSong13:** I always like things to have that kind of atmosphere. ;) Thanks; like I've been repeating in my Blue Dragon story notes/replies, in-character is my goal. Yeah - I love Salsa's English voice. :) I've never heard her Japanese one, so I just tried to write her character like I heard and saw. I don't think you would, but it's fine. Still, when it's revealed who it is, can I know who you thought it was? It might give me an idea or two. Sorry for the wait, and here it is. :)

**theSunlitEarth:** Thanks. :) I needed to build things up anyway for the things that are coming up, so I thought I might as well write something like that. Also, I felt that March never had enough time in cutscenes, so that helped to fuel the idea. Thank you; I'm glad it turned out okay.

***sigh*... I feel so bad. But I'm going to plow through. The quality of this chapter may not be as good, especially towards the end, because I felt so bad. I'd also like to apologize for the shortness - this is also because I'm not well. When I'm feeling better, I can go back and edit it if you think it needs to be changed. Still, I hope you like it. On with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Eternal Sonata. And for the safety of those around her, no one owns Salsa's hat but her. ;)**

Standing in front of the door, March's hand hovered in mid air for a moment; hearing the cheers and protests from the card game inside the room, she let it drop with a sigh. Turning, she walked away down the hall.

March hadn't really known what to do since Beat left with Salsa. She'd tidied up everyone's rooms (twice), read several books, then gone in search of someone to talk to. She had thought about trying to join the card game, but... It sounded like they were having so much fun, and she felt like if she joined that it would just ruin their good time.

So, that left her with the only other thing she had thought of - exploring the city of Baroque. She had wanted to do this since they came here, but she didn't want to do it alone. Now, though, it seemed she had little choice but to go ahead or die of boredom.

Besides... Maybe she could make it into an adventure? Salsa was always saying how she couldn't take care of herself. If March did this, maybe her sister would be proud of her; March often acted like the older one, but in reality Salsa had been born first. She tried to hide it, but sometimes it made her crave attention from her sibling.

The thought spurring her on, March practically skipped down the halls, her steps light.

* * *

She sighed. If nothing else, at least hot tea helped the cold somewhat.

She had been going to go into the castle; it was more than time. But instinct was telling her to wait for the right moment, and this wasn't it. She hoped it would be soon, though, because there would be the complicated issue of the payment arrangements at the Ensemble Hotel if she pushed her time up.

She'd been preparing to go back and deal with the manager, when she noticed a little girl skip pass her.

Now, seeing a little girl wasn't odd at all; there were tons of them in Baroque. But this one bared a striking resemblance to...

Quickly, she plucked the portfolio from her cape and thumbed through the pages, stopping on the one she was looking for. Was it... Yes, this was definitely her. Well, it was one of them, anyway; from the moment she'd seen them, the fact that they were identical, save for the color, had thrown her.

* * *

March was trying to stay positive. By nature, she was almost always in a good mood. But, this cold... She wouldn't do anything as impulsive as to get angry about it, but she was starting to wonder if it was cold enough for her to pass out. Positive... Stay positive...

She stumbled, her feet tripping over something. When she looked to investigate it, she saw that they were these... strange metal bars; she didn't know how else to describe them.

There were two parallel bars that were spaced a good distance from each other. In between there were several bars going horizontally that connected to the other two bars on each side. The most she could make out was that it was supposed to be some kind of pattern.

"They're well-built for train tracks, aren't they?" March looked up when she heard the voice; it was a woman (young) from the sound, but there wasn't much way to tell what she looked like - she was wearing a silverish gray cloak, a hood covering her face.

"I'm afraid I couldn't really say; I've never seen anything like this before. And if you mind my asking, what exactly is a train?"

"You don't know what it is?" There was a smile in her voice.

"No." March shook her head.

"Well, there's one right down there." The woman pointed to the large contraption that was several feet down the track.

"Oh, that's what that is!" She smiled. "I've always wondered what it's called."

"People use it for transportation. It's easier than walking."

"I see... Where does this one go?"

"Most say it's a dead end. But if you know where to look, you can find a palace."

"Really?" March was intrigued.

"Yes. But you shouldn't tell anyone. It's a bit of a secret." The woman started walking away.

"Wait!" March held out her hand. "How do you find it?"

But the woman had already slipped into a crowd.

March sighed, her shoulders sinking. "Oh well... It would've been nice to know." Then she brightened. "Maybe I can find someone who knows?"

**Well... That probably could've been a better chapter. I'm not going to say how I'm feeling, because I'm tired of writing it and I'm sure you're tired of reading it. Anyway, review if you get the chance. I'm still trying for the 10 hit mark, but it might be slower because I'm in pain. :( If you can, let me know what you think in a review; I'd appreciate it. :) See you!**


	4. Chapter 3: A Shoulder to Lean On

**Okay, here's chapter three. I'm sorry it took so long - it was a while before Chapter 2 reached 10 hits, and then I got a little stuck towards the middle... Let's just do the replies.**

**EternalSong13:** Oh, that's nice. Thank you. :) Yeah; I was going to hold off a few chapters before I started developing March's character, but I ran out of ideas, so I decided to just do it then. I think it had good results. ;) You'll have to wait a little bit longer to find out more about the woman, but it shouldn't be too long. I am feeling better, so updates should be a little faster now. Aw, thanks; I'll do my best. :) Before I end this reply, I'd like to say that I'm looking forward to reading your story - I noticed your pen name when I checked the Eternal Sonata section a little while ago. I haven't yet because I want to finish the game first.

**Neon-POP:** Hey, you're my second reviewer - welcome! Thanks; I'm trying to keep it as intriguing as possible. ;) Thank you; if you _do_ happen to notice anything that needs altering, let me know. Thanks for reviewing. :D

**Anyway, I'm feeling a little better, so that's why this chapter is longer than last time. I can't really think of anything else mentioning... so after the disclaimer, we can start the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Eternal Sonata. I do own any characters that you can't find in the game.**

March's eyes widened as she continued skimming through the story. This wasn't the answer she was looking for, but it was a start; it would at least help her find out what she wanted to.

She closed the book, putting it on the clear coffee table in front of her.

Standing, she ran out of the library, her footsteps echoing through the castle.

* * *

"Well, now that I've beaten both of your butts..." Salsa shuffled the deck absent-mindedly, smirking. "What should we try next?"

"Does it involve stuffing you in a closet?" Viola grated.

"... I'll pretend you didn't say that."

Beat stood up and stretched. "Look, if you two are going to get into another fight, I'm just going to find something else to-"

They were interrupted by a sudden and insistent banging on the door.

"Who's that?" Viola wondered aloud.

"I'll get it." Salsa got up and opened the door, surprised to find her currently-out-of-breath twin on the other side. "March?"

"Salsa, Beat. Can you come with me please?" March was already tugging on her sister's arm, albeit a little unwittingly.

"What's wrong, March?" Beat looked over Salsa's shoulder.

"I need your help figuring out a mystery of sorts. I'll explain more later."

Salsa wrinkled her nose. "Sounds suspicious."

"I'll help you." Beat was already pushing his way to March.

"Hey!" Salsa glared at him as he went to stand next to her sister.

"Thank you." March smiled at Beat, then turned to her sister.

Salsa snorted, folding her arms over her chest.

"Come on; it'll be fun, I promise."

"Don't be a spoiled sport." Beat added.

"Well..." Salsa closed her eyes, rolling the consequences over in her head. Deciding that staying behind with the old lady was likely to be far worse, she nodded to herself once, then said, "Fine. But this better be good."

* * *

Polka looked out through the window at the falling snow. She thought that life was probably much easier if you were snow; you just fell to earth, got to lie with your fellow snowflakes until you all melted, and then your life's purpose was complete. There were no complications in between.

"So this is where you've been." She jumped at the sound of his voice.

She smiled at him after she'd recovered. "Hello, Allegretto."

He walked over to where she was, leaning against the sill. "Why are you by yourself?"

"Oh..." She looked back at the window. "I just wanted some time alone is all."

"Am I disturbing you?"

"No!" she waved her hands in front of her. Blushing, she said more quietly, "No. I was starting to get a little lonely, so I'm glad you came."

"You seemed lonely. That's why I came over."

"Thank you." her smile got a little bigger.

The two of them stayed like that for a while, just watching the snowfall. Neither of them really noticed when Allegretto edged closer to Polka. But neither of them really minded, either.

* * *

"... You dragged me out here to read a dang _book_?"

"Salsa, would you relax?" Beat glared at her. "She's your sister, you know; the least you could do is help her when she asks."

"Me and my family members are my own business. I don't need some half-wit shorty to tell me what I can and can't say to my own twin!"

"Please, you two, stop fighting!" March practically wailed, clutching the large book to herself.

"Hmph!" Salsa spun on her heel, facing away from them, her nose high in the air.

"Be like that, then," Beat turned his attention to March. "What did you find?"

"Well... The only thing I got from this book was to ask you two for help. The girl in this book discovered a secret and asked two of her friends to help solve the mystery; the first two people I thought of were Salsa and you."

"You still haven't told us what the mystery is." Salsa gave up on the pose - because she was starting to feel stiff from staying in that position, and, though she would never admit it, a great amount of curiosity - and leaned on the coach with one hand.

"Well, I took a little walk-"

"You?" Salsa interrupted. "By yourself?"

"Let her finish!" Beat swatted at her.

March nodded. "Yes, I was alone," As she lifted her head, she went on like she hadn't been interrupted. "I found these odd things called 'train tracks' -"

"What the heck is that?"

"Salsa, would you _quit_ it!?"

"- and while I was wondering what they were, this strange woman came out of nowhere and said they were well-built. When I asked her about it, she pointed out the train to me and told me it was used for traveling. I asked her where it went, and she said that it led to dead end, but that there was a palace if you knew how to find it."

"...That's it?"

Beat glared at Salsa. "Are you ever nice?"

March shrunk away. "It sounded better when she said it."

Salsa waved her hand dismissively. "I don't see what the big deal is. Sounds boring."

March was going to give up all together, but she brightened when an idea suddenly struck her. "You know, Salsa, if the palace is a _hidden_ palace, I think there would be some kind of treasure hidden there. Why else would you hide it?"

"Treasure?"

"Yeah," Beat agreed with March, instantly catching on. "There's probably loads of jewels and stuff, just waiting to be found."

"Yes..." March sighed, flawlessly faking so it seemed that she was saddened. "Salsa is so fond of that kind of thing. It's such a shame she won't be coming with us."

"Well... I guess it's interesting enough." Salsa nodded to herself. "I guess we could check it out."

"I thought you didn't want to come?" Beat asked her.

"I don't. But, you two need someone to look out for you anyway. Yeah." The last part was mostly said to herself.

"Excellent!" March clapped her hands together, standing. "Um... What should we do first?"

"I thought you knew..." Beat slumped a little.

"We go and investigate the train, of course!" Salsa cut in. "We'll have to figure out how it works so we can drive it."

"Maybe we should just look for someone who knows how to drive it. It's a very big machine, and it seems complicated - it would probably take a long time to figure out how it works."

Salsa deflated a little. "I don't want to wait."

"Right," March nodded. "So that's what our next task is - finding someone who knows how to use the train."

**Chapter 3 done! Took me long enough, huh? The story's going a little slower than I want it to, but I think it's probably better if I build it up. Next chapter we'll see what kind of mischief the little trio will get into. ;) And the mystery woman might make a short appearance, since she wasn't in this chapter. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I'll try to get the next chapter up after 10 hits. Hopefully I'll see you soon! :D**


	5. Chapter 4: Motions of Steel

**Chapter 4 is here at last! I am so sorry, everyone! I had an awful writer's block with this chapter, plus I was working on my Blue Dragon stories, and that's not even including all of the other regular interruptions (namely eating, sleeping, and people coming over to my house to repair things, though there was one almost-regular visit). Still, very sorry. Anyway, I'll go ahead and reply to last chapter's reviews now.**

**EternalSong13:** Aw... Thank you. :) I know - I _loved_ writing that. That short contemplation about the snow was actually something I had thought of a few years ago, and had been for a different story in a different series. But, since I couldn't think of much else, I went with it. And it developed into a Allegretto x Polka scene. Which is always nice. ;) Yes; I've always felt that March was the downplayed character of the group - at least when it came to a cinematic - so I always like involving her as much as possible. And the constant fighting between Beat and Salsa is always entertaining. ;) I'm sorry that it took me so long. I already explained why above, so I won't do it again. And we should find out about the woman soon - not this chapter, but I can almost guarantee that in Chapter 5 we'll find out her name and at least half of what she wants with the group.

**xxApplaudissement Soniquexx:** Hey, you changed your pen name; I like it. :) Anyways... I know; isn't it great? If everything goes the way I'm wanting it to, there should be loads more of those scenes to come. Yeah; that's just the kind of thing she would do, too. XD

**Okay, there are the replies. I don't think many of you are reading my Blue Dragon stories, so I doubt that anyone read my notice in **_**War Stories**_**. Because of that, I'm going to put it again:**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: UNLESS SOMEONE SAYS OTHERWISE, I AM DISCONTINUING THE DISCLAIMER IN ALL OF MY STORIES.**

**This is mostly because I couldn't think of anything interesting to add to them, and also because I just can't stand the thing. If someone thinks that I shouldn't do this, please let me know in your review. With that, since there is no more annoying note, we can go straight to the story.**

If she hadn't been so worried, Viola would have snickered as she saw Allegretto and Polka watching the snow together and looking particularly romantic. But it could wait until later - another thing to tease Polka with.

"Hey, you guys!"

The two of them turned when they were called, Polka skittering away from Allegretto when she saw who it was. Allegretto was ignorant of this, and focused on how upset Viola seemed. "What's wrong?"

"Have you two seen the kids?"

Polka shook her head. "No, why?"

"It's just... Well, I'd been playing a few hands with Salsa and Beat like I have been, and then March came in. She sounded... not upset. Anxious, I guess. They left, and I waited for a while, because I thought they would come back. But they didn't, and now I'm worried."

"Hm..." Allegretto smirked at her. "You're not worried about her, are you, Viola?"

"Shove it. Beat is with them, you know."

"What?" he blanched slightly; was everyone upside down today?

"You're not worried about him, are you, Allegretto?" she mocked him, imitating his tone.

"Did they say where they were going?" he ignored it.

"If they had, I wouldn't have come looking for you."

"I'll help you look." Polka offered a little meekly.

"Thank you, Polka," Viola smiled at the younger girl, then turned a glare on Allegretto. "I'm glad I can rely on _someone_."

"If you'd given me a chance to say something, I would've gladly offered," he matched her look. "But since you didn't, I'm just going to go with Polka and look anyway."

"Because that's _such_ a good way to get back at me." Viola rolled her eyes.

"Shut up. Come on, Polka, let's go." he started striding away.

"R-right!" she followed after him, stopping to give a quick wave to Viola, they hurrying to catch up.

* * *

"Well... This is it."

"Wow... It's kinda big."

"That thing ain't big. You've never seen anything big if you think this is."

"Of course I've seen something big," Beat glared at her. "I just thought that a train wasn't that big."

"I thought you knew what a train was," Salsa placed her hands on her hips. "You live in a city, don't you?"

"Just because I live in Ritardando doesn't mean that I know about everything!"

She closed her eyes, grinning broadly. "Well, there's another thing that I'm better at than you."

"Cut that out! You would've never known what a train was if March hadn't said anything!"

"I still know more than you!"

March, who hadn't said anything since "well, this is it", had started ignoring their fight long ago; she was kneeling at the base of the train, examining the wheels. "Such a strange thing..." she smiled. "But interesting." A nod, mostly to herself.

"What was that, sis?" Salsa peered over Beat's shoulder, taking a quick break from their argument.

"Oh, nothing," March stood. "I'm just admiring it."

"Admire it later," Salsa walked past her twin. "We've gotta find a way inside."

"Why are we trying to get inside?" Beat followed her, March right behind him.

"So we can figure out how it works! Duh!"

Beat glared at her. "I thought we were going to find someone who knows how it works."

"Well, that's where you two come in handy," she pointed at Beat and March. "You two are going to find out how it works."

"What?!" Beat lunged forward.

"I don't know if-"

"Relax, you two! While the both of you try and figure out how this works, _I_ am going to go and find someone who already does," she nodded, smiling with closed eyes. "It'll be like a game. Whoever gets it running first wins."

"Do you take _anything_ seriously?"

"Salsa, I wouldn't know where to begin trying to figure out how to operate this," she shook her head. "It doesn't seem like a good idea to me."

"Stop worrying!" Before either of them could do anything, Salsa had gotten behind them and started pushing them towards the train. "Just hit any buttons you see really hard, and once we figure out what it does, we'll just go from there. It can't be that hard."

"But, Salsa-"

March was cut off as her sister gave her and Beat a hard and decisive push. They fell forward onto the floor of the machine. The door slammed shut behind them.

Beat hauled himself up and pushed against the door. "Salsa! Let us out!" But it wouldn't budge.

Her voice was faint, but still audible. "I can't! The door won't open!"

"What do you mean it won't open?!" he banged his fist against it.

"She used so much force that the door must have locked when she closed it." March stood, brushing herself off.

"Don't worry! I'll be back in a minute!" Salsa's voice faded as she moved away.

It was dark and dusty in the room. The floor seemed to be reddish, but there wasn't enough light to be sure.

"Well, that's just great!" Beat let his back fall against the door, his arms crossed over his chest. "I should've known that I'd get into some kind of trouble with Salsa around."

"Don't worry," March smiled cheerfully, even though it was hard to see said smile with the low visibility. "She wouldn't leave us in here. The person who knows how to operate the train will undoubtedly know how to unlock it. I guess we should look around and see if we can find some way to control it."

* * *

"I can't find them." Allegretto was out of breath, not yet sick with worry, but getting there fast. He completely blamed Viola for it. Why should he worry about Beat? He was big now. There was no reason to-

"Me neither," Polka sounded equally exhausted. "I checked everywhere I could think of."

He cursed under his breath. "When I get my hands on him..."

"Wait, I have an idea," Polka interrupted him. "Why don't we check the city?"

"What?"

"It's just about the only place we haven't looked. I can't think of where else they'd be."

"It might take a while."

"That's okay. If they're in danger, then finding them will be worth it."

Danger... He hadn't even thought of that. Sick with worry after all. "Alright. Let's see if we can find them."

* * *

"Hey, uh, March... I think I found something..."

"What is..." she trailed off as she saw Beat's discovery.

Considering they were in Baroque, it wasn't odd to see a room in this design. It just seemed incredibly strange after being in a dark (possibly red) train, to suddenly find themselves in a bright crystal blue room.

"This is different than the other rooms, so maybe we'll find something in here." he took a few steps inside.

"It's very pretty." she placed her hand against the wall.

"Yeah..."

"Hey, Beat, what's this?"

"Hm?" he came over to what she was looking at.

It seemed to be... Well, some were levers and some were buttons. And then there were these things that looked like a cross between a clock and a compass.

"What do you think it does?" March seemed to be both wondering aloud and asking Beat.

"Maybe this... Maybe this is how you control the train!" he brightened at the thought.

"But which one do you pull or press? There are an awful lot of them."

Beat shrugged. "I guess we'll have to try each and every one." With that, he pulled the closest lever.

* * *

"You did _what_?!"

"You heard me," Salsa folded her arms. "But if something goes wrong, you can't blame me or them, 'cause you should've had someone there that knew how to work the train. Would've made life a lot easier for me."

"Come with me," he took her hand. "Right now."

"Now wait just a minute!" she pulled away from him sharply. "I'll come and go where I please, and there ain't _nothin'_ you can do about it!"

"Listen, little girl. If anything happens to that train-"

"It'll be your fault. You said you were a 'conductor' or whatever, so whatever happens to that thing is _your_ responsibility."

"Please, there's no time for this! We have to get to to the train before your friends turn it on!"

"Salsa?" She turned as she heard her name called, seeing two familiar faces.

* * *

The train came to life with a jolt, sending Beat and March to the floor.

"I think I figured out how it works..." he rubbed his face as he sat up.

"Beat, what are we going to do?!"

"What do you mean?"

"Salsa is still out there!"

"Don't worry," he pushed himself all the way up. "I think I can figure out how to turn this off..."

"Please, hurry!"

"Maybe this will do something." He pulled on a cord hanging from the ceiling, then cried out and held his ears when a sharp whistling sound pierced the air.

"What did that do?" March asked once she'd taken her hands away from her own ears.

Beat shook his head. "I don't know. I think that sound is the only thing it did. Maybe I'll try-"

The two of them were thrown hard as the train stopped. So hard, in fact, that Beat was thrown out of the open hole that served as a window. Luckily, March was quick enough to grab him by the waist.

Once he was sure that he was safe, he let out a sigh. "That was close... Thanks, March."

"I'm glad I could help. Are you okay?"

"Once you pull me up, I think I will-"

"So, Beat, I'm presuming I can blame you for this?"

He looked down, straight into Allegretto's half angry, half amused face.

"It's not my fault, Retto, honest! The whole thing was Salsa's idea!"

"Don't blame _me_!"

"It is your fault!" Beat swayed a little as he hung in March's grip. "You're the one that locked us in here!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

While Beat and Salsa continued with the back-and-forth, Polka asked March, "Is that what happened?"

March shook her head, absentmindedly trying to ignore how her arms were aching. "It was an accident. Salsa closed the door just a little too hard, and it wouldn't open."

"I should check that..." the conductor mumbled, walking toward the door.

"Well, once these two are done bickering, I guess we'll get out of here." Allegretto looked between the two.

Polka nodded. "Yes, that seems like-"

"Excuse me," She turned when she heard the voice. Standing a few feet away was a woman in cloak that concealed their features. "Could I have a moment of your time?"

**Well, it's finally done. Again, I'd like to apologize for how late this was. I can't believe it was so long! Anyway, next chapter we'll (probably) find out who this mysterious woman is, and what she wants. Hopefully, it won't take nearly as long as this chapter did. So... I'll try to update after 10 hits, and please review if you get the chance. See you in a while. :)**


	6. Chapter 5: Closer to the Truth

**Chapter 5 is finally up! I'm so sorry it's late! I've had a horrid case of writer's block, and it's been making all of my stories late. The only reason I uploaded two new stories recently is because I had written them before I joined the site (and this writer's block started), so they only required minor editing (if any at all). Anyway, I'll go ahead and reply to the reviews of last chapter.**

**EternalSong13:** Ah, I thought it was just me! I'm glad we're all able to login again, though. :) Aw, thanks! Oh, well... It's just really easy to write her character. And so much fun. ;) I'm glad that everyone's in-character, though; I think I mentioned this already, but keeping characters in-character is one of the most important things for me (unless the story requires a character change). I'm sorry the update took so long, but here it is. This chapter we should _finally_ find out something about her. :D

**xxApplaudissement Soniquexx:** I know; I've been trying to work them in, but it wasn't working. Fortunately, I think I got some of them in this chapter. :) I'll try to have more Jazz x Viola in the upcoming chapters, too.

**Okay, there are the replies. Again, sorry for how late it is. And this chapter is a little shorter, because of my writer's block, so sorry for that, too. And sorry that I'm always apologizing. Anyway... Let's just get to the chapter, shall we?**

"I don't know why I have to be here," Salsa commented with a bored tone. "Whoever heard of anything as stupid as having an outdoor café in a place that snows?"

"Just stay put, will you?" Allegretto whispered to her. "Besides, you don't have anything else to do anyway."

"I have plenty to- ow!" Salsa grabbed her leg, where Beat had given her a swift kick.

"That lady is coming!" his whisper was a little louder than Allegretto's, eyes darting between Salsa and the approaching woman.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said as she sat down. "I had a few things to take care of."

Allegretto leaned forward. "What's all of this about anyway?"

"Well... I have been keeping track of your group. I've watched you everywhere from Tenuto to Baroque."

"No way!" Salsa nearly fell out of her chair.

"Salsa!" March grabbed her shoulder, her face a mixture of concern and worry.

The woman nodded. "It's true. I've also been observing your fighting skills. They're very impressive."

"Thank you," Polka bowed a little. "On behalf of all of us, including those who aren't with us right now."

"You still haven't told us what you want." Salsa huffed.

"I want to hear what she has to say," Beat glared at her. "If you don't be quiet, I'll take that stupid hat away from you."

"You keep away from my hat!!!"

The woman cleared her throat. "May I continue?"

"Please do." Polka said a little sheepishly.

"Well, if you'd like me be to direct..." She took off her hood, revealing a face barely older than Polka, chocolate brown eyes staring sharply, fuchsia-colored hair tied up in a ponytail. "I would like to join your group."

* * *

Viola was walking hard enough for her footsteps to echo. "If I ever find that little rascal..." She turned the corner hard, and immediately bumped into someone.

"Ow..." she rubbed her backside, where she'd landed after she fell. She looked up, surprised at who she'd bumped into (who had also fallen). "Jazz!"

"Hello, Viola..." he said as he sat up. "What are you doing over here?"

She blew some hair away from her face. "Looking for that obnoxious Salsa."

His eyebrow rose. "Salsa?"

Viola held back a groan, knowing what was coming. "Yeah."

"I'm surprised you would be concerned about her. It's very... unusual."

"Don't rub it in. I don't even know why I am."

"Well, I'm done with the meetings for a little while," he stood. "So, I can help you look."

She smiled. "That would be great."

"Here," he offered her his hand. "Let's see if we can find her."

* * *

"WHAT?!" None of them bothered to hide their surprise.

She cleared her throat again. "If it's all the same to you." Her voice sounded younger than before.

"How come your voice is higher?" Salsa asked, who was the first to really recover from the surprise.

"Oh, that...? Well... People deal better with an older person than a younger one."

Allegretto's eyebrows creased. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. Maybe a little too quickly. "We're getting off of the subject. I can fight just as well as the rest of you. I won't drag down the group, I promise."

"That isn't the problem," Allegretto interrupted. "Our journey is very dangerous. You could get hurt."

"I'm well aware of the risks. They aren't scaring me away."

"Why do you want to join with us?" March asked.

"I have my reasons."

"That isn't saying much." Salsa frowned.

She glared at the younger girl. "Why I'm going is none of your business."

Salsa was about to counter, but Beat started before she could get the chance. "It's okay. We all have a reason for traveling. That doesn't mean that you have to tell everyone what it is," he nodded. "I say she comes with us."

"Who says _you_ get to decide?" Salsa leaned towards him. "The one who really has the final say is Allegretto. And he's not going to let her come. Right?" she looked up at him hopefully.

But he was staring hard at the girl across from them. "How do we know you can be trusted?"

"You don't, not really. But I want to go anyway. If you're that worried about it, once I supposedly backstab you, just kill me and be done with it."

Polka blanched. "We'll do no such thing! You're going to let her come, right?" she touched Allegretto's arm.

"Well..." he looked from the three eager faces, then over at the one group member who wasn't begging him to let the girl stay or go. "What do you think, March?"

She blinked in surprise. "Oh, well... I don't really know."

"Great," Allegretto sighed. "I guess that means I have to think of something."

"No you don't!" Salsa clapped her hands together. "I already thought of something for you!"

* * *

"Hey, Jazz, where's Frederic?" Viola wondered absentmindedly why the question hadn't occurred to her sooner.

"He's still talking with Crescendo," Jazz said, a little shortly. "Trying to convince him of what I couldn't."

"And what would that be?"

"That Forte is going to attack."

"But he wouldn't listen." she sighed out, a statement rather than a question.

"I thought he would be smarter about this."

"He is being smart. He's just doing what he thinks is best for his people."

"That's what he said, but..."

She folded her arms behind her head, smiling broadly. "So don't worry about it. Who's to say that either both or neither of you are right? What if the Prince listened to you, but it turned out to be the wrong choice?" she looked up at the ceiling, watching the chandeliers pass over the heads as they walked. "Everyone has to make their own decisions. But you can't predetermine if that decision will be good or bad. Maybe both of your choices would be good, maybe both of them would be bad. You have to wait and see what happens."

Once she'd finished, Jazz's mouth upturned in a small smile. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am!" she laughed.

He blinked at her for a moment, then he joined in with her, their laughter echoing upwards, like birds taking flight.

* * *

Allegretto's mouth curved down. "Salsa, that's a stupid idea."

"It is _not_!"

"Please, don't fight." March held her sister's arm.

"It isn't that bad of an idea," Polka said, in an attempt to cool the two of them off. "A vote is a fine way to decide something."

March nodded. "I agree with Polka."

The girl leaned back in her chair. "That would be the fairest way to decide, especially if the other group members are included."

"Yeah!" Beat hopped off of his chair. "Let's go back to the castle and find them! They'll help us decide."

"That sounds good." Allegretto stood, the others doings so as well.

"Hey," Beat turned around to face the girl as a thought occurred to him. "You never told us your name."

She seemed a little surprised, but recovered quickly. "Oh, forgive me. It must have slipped my mind. My name is Pirouette."

**Chapter 5 done! Sorry for the lateness. And I don't know how good this chapter was, because, like I said before - what, three times now? - I've had bad writer's block. Fortunately, I think the last part turned out a bit better than it would have, since I had an idea and edited out some stuff that seemed sloppy. Hopefully, next chapter won't be so slow being uploaded. :) Well... We've finally learned the name of the mystery woman! Er... Girl. Why **_**is**_** she trying to travel with the group? Is she friend or foe? The answer to this will probably be even slower than it took to find out her name, but I'll try to write it quickly so you guys won't have to wait so long. I'll try to update after 10 hits, and I'll see you soon. **


	7. Chapter 6: Discovering, Determining

**Chapter 6, up at last! I finally managed to get this up! I was having some awful writer's block, and I got stuck on one of the Blue Dragon stories I was working on... Those are the basic reasons this wasn't up sooner. The rest of it was just a few interruptions from life. Anyway, we can get to the review replies now.**

**EternalSong13:** I do; I might have to add 'Suspense' as a genre. ;) I'll try not to keep it too long, although it's starting to become part of what this story is. I'm not bothering you with it, am I? I don't want to scare you away; you'd be the second reviewer I ever lost, and the first one who was the first person to review. :( I'm trying to pick up the pace... I may have to get a beta if I can't get to the point of this. Um... Anyone interested? *insert nervous chuckling here* The suspense does some to be benefitting the story well, and that's why I've continued to do it. Also, I find that I'm an unfortunately slow writer. Thanks; I'll try to do my best.

**xxApplaudissement Soniquexx:** That's okay; it was messing around with all of us. :P Oh, shoot; I didn't even realize that. Well, I actually thought of her before I saw Rondo, so... And her hair isn't quite as "fuchsia-y" as Rondo's. I can try and alter her appearance a bit, if you think I should.

**theSunlitEarth:** Me too. :) I had wanted to get in some more Jazz x Viola than what I had there, but I was unable to. Fortunately, I think I might have a Jazz x Viola idea for Chapter 7... Anyway, I'm glad that you like it. I had thought that Pirouette was probably musical enough, since Salsa is both music and dance. If it doesn't seem musical enough, I can try to change it... It might be kind of hard at this point in the story, since she's been in it for a while. But I can try to change it, if you think I should.

**Okay, chapter replies done. I guess this story has been going kind of slow, and I'm sorry about that. Things **_**should**_** start to develop in the next few chapters. Hopefully. Ugh, I'm really going to have to think about that beta... Anyway, that's pretty much all I have to pester you with. Read on. ;)**

"I just don't understand it..." Viola leaned on the window sill. "We've looked _everywhere_. Where did they go?"

"Don't worry," Jazz said as he re-entered the room; they hadn't been in the library the first two times, and they weren't this time either. "We'll find them."

"I'd just like to-" Viola froze as she saw something out of the corner of her eye. The said eyes became lidded as she said, "Found 'em."

* * *

She was a little nervous; that hadn't gone exactly as planned. It was close enough that the Count probably wouldn't be angered, but still...

"Hey, Pirouette?" she looked down, surprised from being talked to, seeing the smiling face of that little boy with the camera. "Where did you grow up?"

Her lips turned upward in a small smile. "What an odd question to ask someone you just met."

He scratched the back of his head. "I know. But you seem so familiar, I feel like I know you from somewhere..."

The boy was abruptly shoved out of the way by the red-haired twin. "I want to ask her questions, too!" The girl turned towards her. "You said you were a good fighter. What kind of weapons do you use?"

"A short sword and shield." she said it almost automatically. It was something she knew by heart.

"My question was better than yours!" the boy shouted at her.

"Was not!" the twin countered.

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Excuse me..." the blue-haired twin edged closer to her, as the girl's sister and the boy continued to fight off to the side. "May I also ask you a question?"

"You may ask."

"If they don't agree for you to come with us in general, but if I can convince them to let you show us the palace you mentioned earlier, would you do that?"

She sighed. "I suppose so. I'd rather adventure with you and the others." she smiled at the girl, who returned it.

* * *

"Allegretto..." Polka started tentatively. "I know what I said earlier... But I'm starting to rethink it. What if she can't be trusted?" She glanced back at the girl, who was chatting good-naturedly with March.

"We didn't know if any of us could be trusted; we went on each other's words. Still, it's true that she could be a spy from Forte..." he shook his head. "Don't worry. I'll handle it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Allegretto!" the two were interrupted as an angry-looking Viola stomped towards them. "You have some explaining to do."

He folded his arms behind his head. "About what?"

"Her!" she pointed an accusing finger at Pirouette. "I asked you to go and get the kids, not bring another one back with you!"

"_This_ is why I wear the hood..." Pirouette grumbled under her breath, tugging at the cloak's string.

"It's okay," March tried to be comforting. "Viola doesn't mean anything by it."

Allegretto shrugged. "I don't see why it's such a big deal."

"Oh, you don't? Well how about the fact that we're in the middle of a furious battle with Forte, and we can't afford to-"

"Jazz!" Allegretto cut her off cheerfully and ran past Viola as he saw Jazz walking over to them. "You finally got out of the meeting with Crescendo, huh?"

Jazz nodded. "Yes. But Frederic is still talking with him."

Allegretto sighed. "So I guess that means we're still not going anywhere..."

"We weren't going anywhere _anyway_!" Viola stood to the side of them. "Not until we drop the kid!"

"Viola," Beat cut in. "Pirouette wants to join the group and help us fight Forte!"

Pirouette raised a finger in the background. "That isn't exactly what I meant-"

"So we gotta let her join! Retto says we're going to put it to a vote."

"That was my idea!" Salsa piped up.

"Please don't pin this on me." Allegretto said hopelessly.

"I would like to join, though. If it's all the same to you." Pirouette joined the rest of them.

Viola closed her eyes. "No."

Beat gaped. "But-"

"No."

"You don't make the decisions around here, old lady!"

"What was that?!" Viola leaned down to Salsa's level.

"Actually," Polka spoke to Jazz, since it seemed like Viola was about to be embroiled in a fight. "We _were_ going to put it to a vote."

Jazz didn't seem entirely convinced, but he said, "We would have to get Frederic."

"Of course," Allegretto nodded. "While we wait, I know it's a little sudden, I'd like to talk with you and Viola. It's important."

Jazz could see in his eyes, how he'd changed from lighthearted to serious. He nodded. "Alright. Come on, Viola; you can fight with Salsa later."

Viola and Salsa stuck their tongues out at each other, then Viola went up the steps with Allegretto and Jazz.

Polka turned to the others. "In the meantime, why don't we give Pirouette a tour of the castle?"

* * *

Viola looked at him carefully. "So, what you're saying is that you think she's a spy."

"Maybe. It's hard to tell. I can't really tell what her intentions are. We don't know anything about her, except that she told March about trains and some hidden place."

"A hidden place?" Jazz quirked an eyebrow. "What's there?"

Allegretto shrugged. "We don't even know that."

"Taking her along doesn't sound like a good idea to me," Viola leaned back in her chair. "She might be working for Forte."

"I don't think so. Despite the fact that what Beat said was an exaggeration, she didn't seem like any friend of Forte."

She folded her arms. "How do you figure that?"

Allegretto grinned. "I wasn't born yesterday, Viola. I know people."

She snorted. "Yeah. Sure you do."

"It's true!"

"Jazz, tell me again why we're being led by a fifteen-year-old." Viola looked at him sideways.

"I'm sixteen and a quarter!"

"Alright, you two, calm down," Jazz pinched his forehead between his eyebrows. "Why don't we do this? We'll let her take us to the place she talked to March about. We'll keep a close watch on her, having someone always with her. If all goes well, we'll gain a valuable ally. If she turns out to be a spy, we can use it to our advantage and see what information we can get about Forte's next moves. If Crescendo won't take up arms, the least he can do is prepare a sturdy defense."

"Sounds like a plan," Allegretto stood. "You guys go get Polka and the others, and I'll see if I can pry Frederic away from that meeting that he's unwittingly getting himself into."

* * *

"This is the Audience Chamber," Beat's voice echoed in the large room. "A little while ago, Frederic played some music in here. It was great!"

"The dancing was very nice," Polka smiled as she remembered. "It's a shame, though; I was so busy watching everyone dance, I never got to see Frederic play."

"What instrument does he play?" Pirouette asked, watching a couple go by. Probably married. And rich, if they were in the castle.

"The piano. He plays it like he's a professional," Beat leaned back and forth on his heels. "All this time we've been traveling with him, and he might be a professional pianist! Who would've guessed?!"

Salsa nodded, pointing at Beat in agreement. "That's probably why Frederic acts so weird all the time."

"He acts weird?" Pirouette asked.

Polka giggled. "Not really weird. Silly, maybe. He always says how all of this is a dream."

"What do you mean?" she furrowed her eyebrows.

"This," Polka spread her arms out. "Us. The whole world and everything that's in it. He keeps saying that it's a dream."

"How odd..." Pirouette looked down at her feet, seemingly contemplating something.

"Hey, guys!" The group looked over to see Viola waving at them, Jazz at her side. "We've made a decision!"

* * *

Allegretto was just about to knock, when the door opened.

Frederic blinked at him in surprise. "Allegretto? What are you doing here?"

"I came to get you. Come on, I have to tell you something."

As the two walked towards the goal of the Audience Chamber, since that was where they'd agreed to meet, Allegretto told Frederic about the mysterious girl called Pirouette. He also told him about Jazz's idea, and what they planned to do.

"That's interesting..." Frederic arched his eyebrows. "And all of this happened during my discussion with Crescendo?"

"Yeah," Allegretto nodded. "What were you talking about anyway?"

Frederic smiled, a slightly distant look in his eyes. "I tried to talk to him about the same things as Jazz. He wouldn't listen, of course. But we did talk about other things; it turns out that the two of us have many things in common. He actually reminds me of a good friend of mine, one who I've known for a very long time..."

"You should introduce the two of them to each other sometime. From what you're saying, it seems like they would get along."

Frederic chuckled, shaking his head. "My friend is outside of this dream. He and Crescendo will never meet."

Allegretto sighed, rolling his eyes. "Again with the dream thing..." He brightened when he realized they had arrived.

"Come on; the girl's over there."

As they arrived, they heard Viola asking Pirouette, "So, that place you talked to March about?"

The girl nodded. "Yes?"

"You can show it to us, right?"

"Hey, guys," Allegretto ignored Viola's glare as he interrupted her once again. "Sorry for the wait. Pirouette, this is Frederic."

Frederic, smiling, extended his hand. "Frederic Francois Chopin. A pleasure to meet you."

She accepted it, giving it a good shake. "Pirouette, and the same to you. I've heard that you're an excellent pianist." she glanced slyly at the others behind her.

"Oh, really?" Frederic looked amused. "And who did you hear this from?"

Beat chuckled nervously. "I might've said a thing or two..."

Allegretto looked at him with lidded eyes. "I'm sure you said more than 'a thing or two'."

"Retto, that's not fair! You weren't even here!"

"True, but I know you, and I know how you act," he looked at Polka with mock seriousness. "He didn't say anything about me, did he?" He tried desperately not to laugh as he saw her holding in chuckles of her own.

"_Retto_!"

Viola sighed. "Ignore them. What we decided is that we would travel with you to this place that you mentioned, to see what it's like and all. We'll decide what happens after that when we come to it."

"I guess you don't need to convince them after all." Pirouette whispered to March on the aside.

"Alright!" Salsa placed her hands on her hips. "It's an adventure, then!"

**Chapter 6 done! Again, I'm sorry for the delay. I know that much didn't happen this chapter, and all of you are probably eager to find out what Pirouette is really up to. We should be finding out most of this soon. Review if you can, and I'll try to update after 10 hits. See you soon. :)**


	8. Chapter 7: Whispers of Old Memories

**Wow... It's certainly been a long time, hasn't it? My last update was almost exactly four months ago... So many things have happened since then, I can't remember them all. The most recent thing that's delayed me is that I'm just getting over the flu. It's been awful. XP Anyway, before I continue, there's someone I have to thank:**

**THANK YOU, ABHORSEN SABRIEL! :D**

**I don't know if anyone already knew this, but AbhorsenSabriel187 is the author who beta read the first scene of this chapter (before I expanded it a little). It helped a lot, because I discovered a few mistakes that I've been making (and not just with **_**Tale of Sonata**_**, but with some of my other stories as well). I had been waiting to hear back from her about the rest of the chapter for about three weeks, but I decided that it had been too long since I updated this story, and just tried to do my best with looking over the chapter. I guess we'll see how I did. ;) But before that (again), let's do the review replies first. :)**

**Wicked Song:** Ah, I understand. :) When you said a week, I know you were speaking figuratively, but I thought I should say again that I'm really sorry about how long this took. I've been going through a lot since the last time I updated this. Anything could happen, but they _should_ reach it this chapter... I don't want to spoil it, though. ;) But, actually, I'm looking forward to it as well - once they reach their destination, the story will start to pick up a little more. :D Hm, let's see... I'm usually very bad with estimating how long things will take in my stories, but if I had to guess, I'd say or two or three more chapters. But, I've had another idea during my absence, so it might take a little longer than that. I'm very tempted to talk about her true intentions more, but then that really _would_ spoil the plot... Thank you. :D Really? Ah, I'm glad; I worry often about that happening, so I'm very happy to hear that (again, thank you). :) Thanks - it was a lot of fun to write. XD

**Applaudissement Sonique:** At first, I wasn't sure which part you meant, but I think I do now. This might be too much to ask, and I know that this isn't the right place to ask anyway, but... Do you know a way I could make it more clear? I know that you're a beta reader, so would it be possible if you could help me with that part at the beginning? I'd really appreciate it... I don't know why, but I had a lot of trouble writing that part.

**Anime_Lover:** Glad to hear it. :D I'm sorry it took so long; hopefully the next update won't take so much time.

**theSunlitEarth:** I'm sorry for the long wait... But, as requested, here's more. :) As for Pirouette... We'll have to see. ;) But, I'm happy to hear that last part (even if it's only three words) - it means I'm doing my job right. :D

**child of the gallows:** Thank you. :D I'm glad that you did find it, though. :) It took much longer than I would have liked, but the update is _finally_ here. Really? I'm glad to hear it. :D

**Alright; review replies are done. I'd like to once again apologize for how late this is. I haven't been feeling well, but I'll try my hardest to make sure this long of a wait never happens again. Anyway, I think all of you have waited long enough for this chapter, so without further ado, here's chapter seven of **_**The Tale of Sonata**_**. :D**

March leaned on the train's window sill, watching the snowy hills roll past. She wondered if their destination would be as lovely as the scenery passing by her.

She sighed. Coming onto the train had been quite the task - the conductor hadn't wanted to let her, Salsa or Beat on, since they had "put the train in grave danger". Allegretto had persuaded him to let them on if they payed in addition to their fares... The cost of "allowing" the young trio to board had been an extremely steep 80,000G. This had resulted in Allegretto and Viola getting into a fight, which had resulted in Viola and Salsa getting into a fight...

Once again, she sighed. She had begun to wonder if Viola was getting a little cabin fever from being cooped up in the palace... Then again, she seemed to have been acting increasingly strange after Falsetto disappeared...

"I think it's safe to tell you." Pirouette said suddenly, startling March out of her thoughts. The girl had been quietly reading in the chair next to her, and hadn't uttered a word since they boarded the train. Until now.

"Hm?" March turned around.

"I mean, I could probably tell anyone in the group... But," Pirouette's lips upturned in a small smile. "I think I feel more comfortable telling you."

"I'm not sure I understand." March seemed more than a little confused.

"You said you wanted to know why I want to travel with you. So I thought I'd tell you." The older girl spoke nonchalantly.

"Really?" Curiosity at why Pirouette would share this with her instead of the others quickly gave away to interest.

"Yes. You see, I..." Pirouette stopped, sighing as if it was a difficult task to accomplish, then glanced at March. "It's hard for me to say. I can't even say all of it, for certain reasons... But, I suppose the best way to put it is... I'm trying to understand myself."

March tilted her head. "Understand yourself?"

Pirouette nodded. "I'm sorry it's so confusing. If I didn't have to leave things out, it might make more sense, but... Maybe a better way to put it is that I don't entirely know who I am."

The younger of the two girls put a finger to her chin. "Do you mean amnesia?"

"Perhaps. I remember very little of my childhood. Of course, it's normal for a person to forget things from when they were younger, especially as they grow. But... It's not just my early childhood - it's more current. I've forgotten things that happened just a few years ago. It just doesn't seem right. It's as if there are holes in my memory, like someone's cut them away."

"Maybe that's what happened." March gave a small nod, barely noticeable.

"What?" Pirouette was looking at her with slight confusion.

"I mean that maybe someone has done something, maybe used magic, to make you forget those things."

Pirouette looked down at her hands in her lap. "But why would someone do that?"

March folded her arms. "Maybe they had something to hide. Or you learned something that they didn't want you to know."

"I suppose so. But that's one of the main reasons, or one of the main reasons as best as I can explain it." The older girl smiled sheepishly.

The quiet conversation came to an abrupt halt as Salsa charged down the aisle of the train, Viola shouting as she chased after her.

March flushed a little, embarrassed on her sister's behalf.

Pirouette only giggled though, and despite her flustered disposition, March found herself joining her.

* * *

Jazz glanced down at the contents held in his gloved palm. _I wonder if this is a good idea..._

Fortunately, he wasn't _too_ absorbed in his thoughts, and heard Salsa and Viola stampeding down the hall before they rushed over to him and knocked out of his hand what he had been holding.

Viola's foot caught on the carpet; she caught herself on the chairs on both sides of her, managing to keep herself from falling onto the floor.

Salsa laughed, continuing to run down the hall.

"When I get my hands on her..." She ground out.

"Are you alright?" He moved next to her, helping her stand up straight.

She sighed, shrugging a little. "I guess. I'll feel even better when I catch her, though, so that's where I'm heading. Thanks for helping me up." She started heading after Salsa.

"Viola!"

"Hm?" She looked over her shoulder at him. "What's wrong, Jazz?"

"I..." He lifted his hand slightly, fingers covering the item. "I have something for you."

"Really?" Salsa temporarily forgotten, Viola turned around and started moving towards him a little. "What is it?"

"Ah..." He glanced to the side. "Just a few things I picked up before we left..."

She wondered absentmindedly how he managed to buy the items so quickly before they had boarded the train, but she shook off the thought to pay attention again.

He opened his hand, revealing a small bag. "It's just a few recovery items..."

"Recovery items?" Viola echoed.

Jazz nodded. "Allegretto seems confident that we'll be able to make back that money, but it seems like it's troubling you. I thought that if you had a few items to help you, it wouldn't be so hard."

_Is that all?..._ Despite that thought, she knew he probably wasn't going to say anything else. No matter how much she wanted him to. She covered her inner turmoil well, supposing that receiving something from him was just as nice, smiling and taking it from his hand. "Thanks. It's good to have things like this on hand."

He nodded. "It's especially important for someone who fights from long range, considering the fact that you'd be at a disadvantage if something came too close. Like a certain battle..."

Viola shook her head, grinning. "I guess I'll never live down that one, huh?"

She saw something flicker in his eyes; it seemed like it might be concern, but he masked it too well for her to be sure. "You need to be more careful, Viola. We've faced many difficult challenges, but I'm sure that there will be more dangerous ones to come. You can't afford to be reckless when we face those adversaries."

She shifted her weight, for some reason feeling nervous and unable to think of something to say, but then she realized that he hadn't finished speaking when he continued.

"Please... Even if it may not seem like it sometimes, we need you. But much more important than that, you're our friend." Jazz looked like he wanted to say something else, but held back.

Viola flushed slightly. "Okay. I'll try harder."

He smiled and walked forward so they were side to side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to overdue it. Just do your best."

She nodded, her smile a little shy. "Alright. Thanks, Jazz."

He let go of her shoulder - she found herself missing the weight of his hand - and walked down the aisle. "I'm going to talk with the conductor to find out how much farther we have to go. I'll see you later."

As she watched him go, a thought floated in her mind: _Third place still has a chance..._

* * *

The outside platform at the rear of the train was incredibly cold. Beat now knew this all too well - sitting on the metal floor wasn't that different from sitting on a sheet of ice. Several times he'd thought that he shouldn't have come out here... But he knew that this was a place where he probably wouldn't be found.

He looked up at the wintery landscape every once in a while, but he mostly stared at his camera. He didn't really know why, but he'd been thinking about his father since they left Baroque (and even before then, a little), and he hadn't been able to stop...

The sun reflected on the lens for a split second, and he felt a little nostalgic. It brought to mind the image of his father, showing him how a camera worked under the afternoon sun... Five years ago, but it felt like it had been so much longer. So many things that had happened between then and now...

He jumped as he heard the door to the inside of the train open, looking up quickly. Allegretto stood in the doorway.

"There you are," the older boy closed the door behind him. "You know, I've been looking all over for you. What are you doing out here? It's freezing." His voice was a mix of things: Curiosity. Annoyance. Worry.

Beat shook his head, looking down. "Nothing..." He mumbled quietly.

Allegretto frowned. "Are you mad at me or something? You've been acting strange lately." He moved towards his younger friend.

"Are you _limping_?" Beat's voice hiked slightly. For someone who didn't know him, the increase in pitch wasn't as noticeable.

But Allegretto had known him far too long to not notice that."I'm fine. Salsa ran over my foot."

Beat glared, glancing off to the side. "When I get my hands on her..."

"Forget it, Beat. It was just an accident." Allegretto sat down, wincing and immediately saying, "Ugh, how can you stand it? Sitting on this thing is like sitting on a frozen river!"

The younger boy snorted. "That was your idea."

Allegretto's face turned red, and not just from the cold. "That happened years ago. I was only ten." He shook his head. "Never mind that right now. What's wrong? I know that something's going on, even if you won't tell me."

Beat opened his mouth to make an excuse, but he saw the determination look on Allegretto's face, and gave in. "I... I was thinking about my dad."

Allegretto had seemed a little surprised at first, but that faded quickly; he nodded and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" He already knew the answer - though it had been quite a while, this wasn't the first time he'd been through this with him. But he wanted to ask anyway, just in case it was different this time.

Beat shook his head. "No... No, not really."

_Some things don't change, I guess._ Allegretto was about to say something aloud, but that was when the train came to a halt.

Beat blinked. "Why did we stop?"

"Maybe we're at the place." Allegretto stood, offering his hand. "Come on - let's go find out."

* * *

With a joyful shout, Salsa launched herself off of the train platform... Then immediately shrieked as she landed in a deep pile of snow.

March shook her head, arms akimbo. "Really, Salsa... You knew that it was going to be cold, didn't you?"

Salsa, who had skittered out of the snow as soon as she'd fallen into it, now stood a few feet away from the pile. Her shivering broke up her words as she said, "I d-didn't kn-know it would b-be d-deep enough t-to f-fall into."

"That's what you get for not using the stairs like a normal person." Beat said as soon as his feet had left the last step.

Salsa scowled at him, then looked thoughtfully at the layers of snowflakes next to her feet...

About a second later, Beat yelped as he was hit in the face with a snowball. "What did you do that for?!" he shouted at her indignantly.

Salsa grinned widely. "For making fun of my predicament."

She _would_ have laughed a moment later, but she never had a chance - Beat threw a snowball of his own, hitting the side of her head.

As the of two of them began to hurl handfuls of snow at each other, Allegretto, watching from the platform, covered his face and groaned. "Barely a minute after we get off of the train, and they're already fighting..."

"Those trees over there..." March started, indicating the forest ahead of them. Her voice was soft, almost talking under her breath. "They still have their leaves... And the leaves are white..." As she had never seen such a thing, she was quite amazed by it.

"Ah... They're a little different than other trees," Pirouette came over to stand next to her. "They're one of the few trees that don't loose their leaves when winter comes, and also one of the few that have white leaves... They only grow in that forest."

"So," Allegretto entered the conversation immediately, grateful for the distraction from the snowball fight. "That forest will lead us to the palace, right?"

Pirouette nodded. "Yes. As long as you know the way. Those who enter the forest without learning the path will just wind up going in circles."

Viola narrowed her eyes, so slightly that it was unnoticeable unless whoever looking stood next to her. "And you know the way?"

After a very brief moment of hesitation, Pirouette answered, "Yes. I wouldn't have told you about it otherwise. There's no point in going in there unless you know how to get through."

"We should get going, then." Allegretto said, glancing at Viola momentarily, then walking off of the platform.

After the snowball fight had been broken up, the group started heading towards the forest.

They had only been walking a few moments when Polka glanced back at the platform. It sat there, a gray stone block in the middle of a desolate land covered in snow. Beyond it, she could see mountains far off in the distance, dark gray shapes against a white sky.

The thought entered her mind that if anyone lived near here, this quiet and empty land, they must be terribly lonely.

* * *

Once they had entered the forest (Pirouette leading the way) and walked inside it for a while, Polka thought that this place was a sharp contrast to the snowy land they were in before - while that place had been incredibly bare, this forest was like a closed canopy.

The plants in the area were touched with frost, yet through the ice that covered their leaves, they looked as healthy as if it were spring. On the path that the plants were next to, small dots of snow dusted the dirt road.

"This place..." Frederic started quietly. "It reminds me of something I read about once."

Pirouette turned her head to look at him, furrowing her eyebrows slightly. "Really? That's odd... As far as I know, there are no records of this place."

Frederic chuckled, shaking his head. "No. I read about it before I had this dream. In fact, that may be what created it."

Everyone, save for Frederic and Pirouette, shared an embarrassed sigh.

Conversation mostly slipped into small talk after that, and then that shifted into silence as they continued further inside.

Their progress halted at a fork. Beat nervously peered down the lefthand path; it was dark, as if night had fallen upon it. "Wh-why is that place darker than the others?"

Salsa grinned at him mischievously. "Hm... Sounds like you're scared, Beat."

He glared at her, flushing with embarrassment. "I am _not_! You're just-" He cut off, seeing something from the corner of his eye; something on the darkened path. "Hey... Is that something glowing down there?"

"That darkness is a trick to confuse people and get them lost," Pirouette intervened. "People always see that glowing and think that it's a way out. But in reality, it's just luminous plants."

"If I were going through here alone, I wouldn't take that path, though," Viola said; she sounded as if she were putting up a challenge for Pirouette. "I would take the brighter one, so I could see better."

Pirouette nodded. "That bright path is the one that leads to the palace, but there are many more illusions in it. This darker path is here in case a person navigating the forest gets confused by those illusions and tries to retrace their steps."

"Making them more lost than they already are..." Allegretto's voice was soft, like he was reciting an old story. His voice returned to normal as he said, "The person who set up the traps in this forest sounds a little vindictive to me."

A corner of Pirouette's mouth upturned. "I suppose you could say that."

"You sound like you know something." Viola sounded a little sharper than she had intended.

The half-smile dropped off as Pirouette said, "I've heard things. Rumors. That's all. We should get going," she turned abruptly and started walking down the other road. "It's a bad idea to stand around in this place."

* * *

Things progressed uneventfully for the most part after that (save for Salsa tripping over a tree root), until they came to a fairly large clearing. The tree branches weren't so close together here, allowing more sunlight to pour in, and a pond could be seen off in the distance.

Pirouette had stopped walking when they arrived. "We should take a break here."

Allegretto looked in her direction, arching an eyebrow. "I thought you just said we shouldn't stand around in this place."

"There are certain places that it's okay to stop in. But there aren't very many of them, which is why we should take advantage of this one and rest for a little while." With that, she began walking further into the open area.

As the rest of the group followed her in deeper, March turned to her twin and asked, "Salsa, did you notice that since we came into this place, Pirouette has been acting a little... upset?"

Salsa shrugged. "She's weird anyway, so she's just acting more weird. Don't worry about it, sis."

March frowned slightly. "I don't think she's weird. She's just quiet."

Salsa let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, it's nice here and all, but it's still kinda creepy. It's probably just putting her on edge a little. She'll be fine after we leave."

"Are you sure?" March glanced over at Pirouette, who had sat on a rock and started sorting through her bag.

"I'm sure. Now, hurry," Salsa grabbed her sister's wrist. "We have to get the others to make lunch!"

* * *

She knelt by the water's edge, her ponytail falling over her shoulder as she leaned over the pond.

Looking at the surface of the water was almost like looking into a mirror - it was clear enough to see the bottom, which consisted of dark brown soil and seaweed-like plants.

Pirouette imagined, for a moment, that if her mother could see this, she would have painted it. She had the clear image in her head of brushes dipped in oil paints, an almost blank canvas that could be transformed into whatever the artist (her mother) wanted.

She took a rock and dropped it into the water, watching the ripples muddle her reflection.

It wouldn't be long before they arrived at Key Palace. And then... She closed her eyes tightly. And then-

"Pirouette?"

She turned her head quickly, and was met with the sight of Beat.

Pirouette relaxed. "Yes? What's wrong?"

"Oh, well..." He kicked at the ground. "It's time to eat. I just came to let you know."

"Oh... I see. I'll be there in a moment."

"Okay." Then his eyebrows furrowed in deep thought, contemplating something.

She was about to ask him if he was alright, when Beat looked up suddenly and asked, "Have you ever skipped rocks before?"

Pirouette blinked in surprise. Whatever she'd thought he was going to say, that had definitely not been it. "I don't think so... Why do you ask?"

Beat reached down, plucking a stone off of the ground, then straightened and moved towards the edge of the pond. "Skipping stones is something I do with all of my friends... And... We're friends now, right?" He looked at her nervously, like he was wondering if he'd said the wrong thing.

She smiled at him. "Yes, we are." She stood up and started going over to him. "You'll have to show me how, because if I ever have done it, it's been a long time..."

* * *

"We're not that far away now - we should reach the palace in a few minutes." Pirouette said a little while after they had resumed their walk.

"I can't wait to see the palace." March whispered excitedly. She turned to Salsa. "What do you think it will be like?"

"Filled with treasure, hopefully," was Salsa's reply.

Beat looked at Salsa with lidded eyes. "And hats?"

Salsa blinked at him. "I doubt it. Hats are big time treasure - the stuff in that place is probably small time, like jewels or somethin'. Still..." She grinned. "Treasure is treasure."

Beat almost replied, but then he saw something ahead of them. "Hey, there's something sparkling over there!"

With that, the young trio sprinted forward, Allegretto shouting for them to wait (that had been in vain, however).

As soon as they had burst through some tangled fern that blocked the way, the three of them craned their necks to see the tall, crystalline structure in front of them.

Pirouette stopped walking behind them, her voice sounding subdued as she said, "Welcome to Key Palace."

**And, at long last, Chapter 7 is finally finished! :D I know that this isn't as good as it could be, and I'm disappointed in several parts of it, but I think it turned out more or less okay. I've been away from this story for a long time, so if this chapter isn't that good, maybe that has something to do with it. On a more positive note, this is the longest chapter of _Tale of Sonata_, so maybe that helped (at least a tiny bit) to make up for how late it is. Anyway, if you can, please review. I'm worried about how good this chapter was, so I'd like to know what you thought of it. It may take some time to update this, since I've fallen behind with updating practically _all_ of my stories, and I'm now scrambling to update them, but I will still try for the 10 hit mark. That's all I can think of to say, so (hopefully) I'll see you soon! :)**


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